Five figure sums of money stolen from three different Edinburgh residents in telephone banking fraud
The victims told police that they received telephone calls from someone with a local accent, claiming to be from the fraud team of their local bank and who appeared to be calling from a genuine bank telephone number.
The caller then asked them to transfer funds into a separate account which appeared to be operated by the fraudsters.
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Hide AdPolice Scotland have said that the fraudulent calls were made over four days between September 21 and 24. All of the victims had five figure sums of money stolen from their accounts.
PC Greig Stephen, of the Prevention, Intervention and Partnerships team in Edinburgh, said: “Those targeted by these incidents have been left shaken by what has happened and I would urge everyone to be wary of any online or telephone scams that are related to finances.
“If you are speaking to someone on the phone, please do not give them any personal information or bank details, even if they seem to know some of your details already."
He added: “Many fraudsters use advanced techniques to make them appear genuine and it is important to remember that your bank would never ask you to transfer money to
another account.”
Police Scotland urge members of the public to be vigilant advising anyone who receives a call like this to politely hang up and contact their bank to discuss any irregularities surrounding their accounts.